A Bergen County man has been charged with the sexual assault of a male juvenile. Prosecutors said the juvenile initially informed family members of the abuse two months after the sexual activities purportedly began.
The accused registered nurse was charged with three separate crimes. The Bergenfield man was arrested, charged and ordered to the county jail in lieu of $75,000 bail. The defendant was not given a 10 percent bail release option.
The 38-year-old was arrested in mid-May, after the victim's parents called authorities. Bergenfield police and the Special Victims Unit of the county prosecutor's office made an arrest following an investigation of the family's allegations.
It has not been reported how or how well the suspect and the juvenile knew one other. Authorities said the defendant and the boy were apparently acquaintances. Authorities gave no indication of any closer relationship. A court ordered the registered nurse to have no contact with the juvenile.
Reports were not clear about whether the boy's parents were familiar with the alleged abuser, before the child told his relatives about the supposed sexual abuse.
Officials stated that the accused is an unmarried man who works at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. No details of the alleged sexual activities between the Bergenfield man and the boy have been released.
Along with a second-degree sexual assault charge, the Bergenfield man is also charged with third-degree offenses for child welfare endangerment and sexual penetration by a diseased person. The registered nurse is accused of having a known venereal disease while performing "inappropriate" sexual acts with the juvenile.
Adult sexual activity with minors is punishable by law, even if the parties involved agree the relationship is consensual. A person charged with a sex crime against a juvenile can face difficult legal obstacles that an experienced, effective criminal defense attorney can help a defendant overcome.
Source: NorthJersey.com, "Bergenfield man arrested on sex charges," May 24, 2012